On one level this work is the story of an airman's discovery of a small boy from another planet in the desert and his stories of intergalactic travel, and on the other hand it is a thought-provoking allegory of the human condition.

Doctored petrol is blowing up vehicles all around the country. Determined to find the culprits, Tintin heads for the Middle East, but he is in for a nasty shock when he encounters a familiar face in the desert.